DePauw Again One of America's Best Value Colleges; East College on Book's Cover

March 28, 2006

March 28, 2006, Greencastle, Ind. - Historic East College is pictured on the cover of America's Best Value Colleges: 2007 Edition, which lists DePauw University as one of 150 colleges offering excellent academics, generous financial aid packages and relatively low costs. The book, published by Princeton Review, arrives in stores today. The editors cite DePauw's "demanding academics" and "highly selective" admission standards and note that "DePauw is especially strong in the area of merit-based awards."

The book's findings are based on data the Princeton Review obtained from administrators at 646 colleges and surveys it conducted of students attending them. It has three-page profiles on each of the 150 "best value" colleges, as well as advice on getting into the schools and getting financial aid from them. DePauw was also listed in last year's edition.

"We use over 30 factors to rate the colleges in four categories: academics, tuition GPA (sticker price minus average amount students receive in gift aid scholarships and grants), financial aid (how well colleges meet students' financial need), and student borrowing," says Robert Franek, vice president of publishing for the Princeton Review. "The 150 schools that met our criteria for this edition include 103 public and 47 private colleges in 40 states. They range from large state universities to small, liberal arts colleges, and include little-known gems, specialty schools, and some colleges that are tuition-free."

"Undergraduates stream here for first-rate programs in business, which include the Management Fellows Program with its coveted internship opportunities," the book's editors write of DePauw. "They're also drawn by top departments in computer science and technology, media studies, the sciences, and music. Distribution requirements lean heavily toward the humanities and communications, guaranteeing that undergrads will leave with a strong liberal arts education and will have endured a challenging, heavy workload... Small, discussion-based classes are led by professors who hold their pupils firmly to high academic standards," the book states.

The book notes that 57% of DePauw students receive need-based assistance and that 85% of successful applicants "are in the top quarter of their high school graduating class. The school looks for a 'rigorous high school academic program where the student has excelled, both in terms of GPA and rank, [and a] strong performance on the SAT I/ACT' in its applicants."

The text also points to the success of DePauw alumni. "DePauw scatters its graduates throughout the professions -- financial services, government, medicine, science, consulting, entertainment, non-profit/social service, and education all fall into the mix. Standard & Poor's ranks the school eighth among over 800 liberal arts schools as a producer of top business executives. The school's top-notch School of Music helps populate the music world, while the Information Technology Associates Program sends many grads out into the world of IT." The editors add, "DePauw's alumni rolls are crammed with famous folks" and that the Society of Professional Journalists was founded at the University, which "has a rich tradition of graduating some of the nation's top journalists."

DePauw's "best value" ranking is the latest in a series of accolades the University has recently received from national publications. The Fiske Guide To Colleges 2006 ranks the University as one of 45 "best values." U.S. News & World Report has ranked DePauw in the nation's top tier of national liberal arts colleges for six consecutive years. The Princeton Review's annual publication, The Best 361 Colleges: 2006 Edition, also gives DePauw high marks for its academics and social scene, as does College Prowler's guide to DePauw University. The National Survey of Student Engagement finds that students at DePauw University enjoy significantly more academic challenges, interactions with faculty, collaborations with others and enriching educational experiences than students at peer institutions and the national average at all colleges and universities. DePauw is also among the "Top 50 Most Unwired College Campuses," a survey of all institutions of higher learning -- big and small -- sponsored by Intel Corporation. DePauw is ranked #30 -- the highest of any liberal arts college in America -- in the report.

Prospective students who would like more information on DePauw University, including access to an online application form, can click here. Alumni who wish to give to the Annual Fund can learn more here.